Alison Croggon

4 weeks ago | thesaturdaypaper.com.au | Alison Croggon

In one of those weird zeitgeisty moments, this year Melbourne is hosting two adaptations of Daphne du Maurier stories. Her moody gothic novel Rebecca is scheduled for the Melbourne Theatre Company in September, while her short story The Birds, the inspiration for Alfred Hitchcock’s film, is now on at the Malthouse Theatre. It’s not surprising that du Maurier’s work is so often adapted – it has an instinctive sense of theatricality. Maybe this stems from her upbringing.

Mar 7, 2025 | thesaturdaypaper.com.au | Alison Croggon

No one can say that the Adelaide Festival artistic director, Brett Sheehy, isn’t hands-on. As the obligatory pre-performance housekeeping announcement floated over Adelaide’s auditoriums, I thought, That voice sounds familiar. It turns out that it is Sheehy himself, an anonymous presence before every show. Sheehy, who is among other things the former artistic director of Melbourne Theatre Company, represents a steadying interregnum in what has been a volatile time at the Adelaide Festival.

Feb 14, 2025 | thesaturdaypaper.com.au | Alison Croggon

Festival Perth Festival delivers some big-hitting shows, including the breathtaking Mahabharata and a revolutionary Portuguese dance work. By Alison Croggon. SHARE Copy Link Bluesky Facebook X LinkedIn This month, Perth is going off. Perth’s Fringe World – a relative newcomer on the arts calendar that has grown from modest beginnings to 577 shows in 2025 – sprinkles lights and street umbrellas everywhere.

Dec 26, 2024 | theguardian.com | Cassie Tongue |Alison Croggon |Tim Byrne |Jason Blake |Michael Sun |Walter Marsh | +6 more

Big Name, No BlanketsIlbijerri Theatre Company Sydney; Melbourne; Brisbane; Darwin; heading to Perth festival, 27 February – 1 MarchIt’s not often that a jukebox musical would make an end-of-year best theatre list, but Big Name, No Blankets – which tells the story of the iconic Warumpi Band – is no ordinary jukebox musical.

Oct 4, 2024 | thesaturdaypaper.com.au | Alison Croggon

It’s one of the peculiarities of our time that some of Australia’s most acclaimed theatre-makers feature in this year’s Melbourne Fringe Festival. Among them are Patricia Cornelius – whose many awards include the international Windham–Campbell drama prize in 2019 – with her long-time collaborator Susie Dee, and Adena Jacobs, who last year was shortlisted for Germany’s highly prestigious Theatertreffen and was awarded a Sidney Myer Creative Fellowship.